Crees jubilant over Great Whale postponement

Page 1

Nov. 18 was a day of jubilation in James Bay as the new spread that Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau had indefinitely postponed the massive Great Whale hydroelectric project.

Some couldn't believe their ears. A band official in Great Whale (Whapmagoostui in Cree) stood holding the phone for two minutes in silence when he heard the news.

"This must be some cruel joke," he finally muttered.

"Everyone was jumping around joyfully and shaking hands," said Whapmagoostui Chief Matthew Muskash. "People were just going wild."

A feast was planned in the community. Brian Craik, adviser to the Grand Council of the Crees, said he was flying so high he had to be scraped off the ceiling.

"It will take time to sink in. It's hard to believe," said Robbie Dick, who fought Hydro-Quebec's $13 billion project for several years as Chief of Whapmagoostui.

"The people have accomplished a great task. With this project, we used our own beliefs, our own way of looking at the earth and the environment. We followed the direction of our Elders and we have come to this point where we have succeeded to a degree. This is how strong it is when we follow our traditions."

The reaction at Makivik Corporation, which represents northern Quebec's 7,000 Inuit, was mixed. Earlier this year, Makivik signed an agreement promising not to oppose the project in exchange for $100 million.

"There were many people who had the same reaction as the people in Whapmagoostui," commented Makivik spokesman. "On the other hand, there were some reactions that this project raised some expectations in some communities. We were able to see what some of the potential benefits were."

Cree Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come, for his part, called Parizeau's announcements a "courageous" decision.

"This generation of Crees and this generation of Quebecers has said no to mega-projects. It was a great joy to know we were right."

The postponement gives Crees precious time to deal with other issues like forestry, mining and social problems in the nine Cree communities off the east coast of James Bay.

"With Great Whale out of the way, it allows time for the land to heal, time for the Cree people to adapt to the changes that happened after the first project."

But he warned that it's still unclear whether Great Whale is completely off the table, or whether this is just a temporary postponement of five or 10 years. This was a concern also raised by Anthony Ittoshat, the mayor of the Kuujiuarapik, which is the Inuit half of Great Whale.

"The way Parizeau put it was we're not going to scrap the project forever," said Ittoshat.

Just hours after the premier's announcement, Quebec officials were already doing some back-pedalling, saying that Hydro-Quebec would continue to participate in the ongoing environmental assessment process of Great Whale. This means the provincial utility could have the permits it needs to proceed with construction in two or three years, when the political climate may be more favorable.

"We are giving Hydro-Quebec no instructions to stop their preparation of the project," Parizeau aide Hubert Thibault told reporters.

Ittoshat said Parizeau may have no choice but to postpone the project. Earlier on the day of the postponement, four federal and provincial committees studying Great Whale issued a devastating 130-page report on a $256 million environmental review conducted by Hydro-Quebec.

They said Hydro's review suffered from "major inadequacies" and recommended more than 300 revisions.

Luis Eguren, co-ordinator of the Cree anti-Great Whale campaign, said the sovereignly government may have postponed Great Whale because it was desperate to score a public relations victory against the Crees, who have embarrassed the PQ by speaking out against sovereignty and Great Whale abroad.

"Parizeau really needs to shut up Matthew. Matthew is killing him on the international front."

Oddly enough, Parizeau's announcement came just hours after Grand Chief Coon Come spok for a second time in two months in Washington, D.C. about Cree rights. The Cree leader chided Quebec separatists for their "ethnic nationalism" and criticized the PQ government's support of the extinguishment policy, which he describe as "racist and colonialist".

In a sign that the tensions between Crees and Quebec are still not resolved, Quebec Deputy Premier Bernard Landry stunned reporters on his way to a cabinet meeting when he suggested that Band Chief Coon come could face criminal charges.

"I have been a law student. There are limitations to freedom of speech in the Criminal Code," Landry said.